Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «T»:

Test, pupil dilationTest, pupil dilation: An examination that enables an eye
care professional to see more of the retina, the light-sensitive
layer of tissue at the back of the eye. Dilating (widening) the pupil
permits the retina to be examined for signs of disease. To do this,
drops are placed into the eye to dil...

Test, radionucleide stressTest, radionucleide stress: This procedure involves injecting a radioactive isotope (typically thallium or cardiolyte) into the patient's vein after
which an image of the patient's heart becomes visible with a special camera. The radioactive isotopes are absorbed by the normal heart muscle. Nuclea...

Test, rapid plasma reaginTest, rapid plasma reagin: A screening blood test for syphilis. Rapid plasma reagin is commonly abbreviated RPR.
A negative ("nonreactive") RPR test result is compatible with a person not having syphilis. However, a person may have a negative RPR test and still have syphilis since, in the early sta...

Test, rapid strepTest, rapid strep: A diagnostic test commonly used to demonstrate whether streptococcus bacteria ("strep") are present in the throat. A throat infection with strep needs to be treated with an antibiotic.
The traditional test for a strep throat has been a throat culture; the major drawback is that t...

Test, RorschachTest, Rorschach: A psychological test involving inkblots. The inkblots are used to determine what a person perceives (reads into) in the enigmatic and highly ambiguous shapes. Ten standardized blots are shown one at a time to a subject and their responses are recorded. The Rorschach test became a co...

Test, RPRTest, RPR: Rapid plasma reagin, a blood test for syphilis
that looks for an antibody that is present in the bloodstream when a
patient has syphilis. A negative (nonreactive) RPR is compatible
with a person not having syphilis, but in the early stages of the
disease, the RPR often gives false neg...

Test, stool occult bloodTest, stool occult blood: A test to see whether there
is blood in the bowel movement. Also called
a fecal occult blood test: A test to check for hidden blood in stool.
(Fecal refers to
stool. Occult means hidden.) Abbreviated stool OB. ...

Test, stress echocardiographyTest, stress echocardiography: A supplement to the routine exercise cardiac stress test. During stress echocardiography, the sound waves of ultrasound are
used to produce images of the heart at rest and at the peak of exercise.
In a heart with normal blood supply, all segments of the
left ventri...

Test, syphilis (FTA-ABS)Test, syphilis (FTA-ABS): The fluorescent treponemal antibody absorbed (FTA-ABS) test for syphilis is a blood serum screening test designed to demonstrate the presence or absence of specific antibodies directed against the organism (Treponema pallidum) responsible for syphilis. The test detects the...

Test, syphilis (RPR)Test, syphilis (RPR): Rapid plasma reagin, a blood test for
syphilis that looks for an antibody that is present in the
bloodstream when a patient has syphilis. A negative (nonreactive)
RPR is compatible with a person not having syphilis, but in the early
stages of the disease, the RPR often give...

Test, syphilis (VDRL)Test, syphilis (VDRL): A blood test for syphilis (VDRL
stands for Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) that detects an
antibody that is present in the bloodstream when a patient has
syphilis. A negative (nonreactive) VDRL is compatible with a
person not having syphilis, but in the early stages...